Technologies

Apple’s Next Big Move: iPhone 20 Reportedly Could Ditch Every Physical Button

If you like the security of a physical button to feel for on your iPhone, you might need to adjust to a new style.

Future iPhones may not have physical buttons, according to an unconfirmed report from a leaker who goes by Instant Digital, and who shared the information on the Chinese social media platform Weibo.

Tech news site 9to5Mac translated the post from Chinese.

«The solid-state button scheme of Apple iPhone has completed the functional verification and is planned to be mass-produced and applied on the iPhone 20 in 2027,» the translation read. «At that time, the power button, volume button, operation button and camera control button will be upgraded to solid-state buttons with local vibration feedback.»

A representative for Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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It’s not an entirely new concept in the smartphone world.

«There have been plenty of Android phones that have tried replacing buttons with faux ones in part,» said CNET managing editor Patrick Holland. «But in 2018, HTC launched the U12 Plus, which lacked actual buttons. Instead, there were raised areas that were touch-sensitive and simulated the action and feel of a real button using haptics.»

Haptics refers to the iPhone’s way of providing feedback through vibrations or taps, which can let users know they’ve touched the right spot on the phone, even if there’s no physical button to feel.

A buttonless iPhone might take Apple customers a while to get used to, but Holland sees a positive side to the lack of physical buttons.

«The upside is that there isn’t anything that can break,» he said. «Apple has had haptic buttons on its devices for years. The home button on the iPhone 7 and newer was all haptics. And the trackpads on MacBooks have all used capacitive touch, instead of actual hardware, for nearly a decade.»

Holland also notes that while Instant Digital, the account that leaked this report, has a mixed record when it comes to accuracy, «lately more (of their reports) have been right than not.»

Even back in 2021, there were rumors that the then-upcoming iPhone 13 would have no physical buttons, and a similar rumor popped up for the iPhone 15 Pro.

Technologies

How Verum Ecosystem Is Rethinking Communication

David Rotman — Founder of the Verum Ecosystem

For David Rotman, communication is not a feature — it is a dependency that should never rely on a single point of failure.

As the founder of the Verum Ecosystem, Rotman developed a communication platform designed to function when internet access becomes unreliable or unavailable.

Verum Messenger addresses real-world challenges such as network outages, censorship, and infrastructure failures. Its 2025 update introduced a unified offline-capable messaging system, moving beyond Bluetooth-based or temporary peer-to-peer solutions.

Verum’s mission is simple: to ensure communication continuity under any conditions.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Sunday, Feb. 1

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Feb. 1

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Some of the clues are kind of tricky, but I was able to fill in enough of the others to get them all answered. Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Spot to shop
Answer: MART

5A clue: Pounded sticky rice sometimes filled with ice cream
Answer: MOCHI

6A clue: ___ Chekhov, «Three Sisters» playwright
Answer: ANTON

7A clue: Like many dive bars and bird feeds
Answer: SEEDY

8A clue: Jekyll’s evil counterpart
Answer: HYDE

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: What makes the world go ’round, per «Cabaret»
Answer: MONEY

2D clue: Performed in a play
Answer: ACTED

3D clue: __ Island (U.S. state)
Answer: RHODE

4D clue: Itty-bitty
Answer: TINY

5D clue: Squish to a pulp, as potatoes
Answer: MASH

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Feb. 1, #496

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Feb. 1, No. 496.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a fun one. The blue group made me think of dusty gum sticks, and the purple one requires you to look for hidden names in the clues. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Splish-splash.

Green group hint: Vroom!

Blue group hint: Cards and gum.

Purple group hint: Racket stars.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Aquatic sports verbs.

Green group: Speed.

Blue group: Sports card brands.

Purple group: Tennis Grand Slam winners, minus a letter.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is aquatic sports verbs. The four answers are kayak, row, sail and swim.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is speed. The four answers are mustard, pop, velocity and zip.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is sports card brands. The four answers are Leaf, Panini, Topps and Upper Deck.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is tennis Grand Slam winners, minus a letter. The four answers are ash (Arthur Ashe), kin (Billie Jean King), nada (Rafael Nadal) and William (Serena and Venus Williams)

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